


It would happen before the New Year

by Whale_Shark



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, M/M, mentions of bullying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:20:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28374555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whale_Shark/pseuds/Whale_Shark
Summary: Navigating high school was supposed to be easy, until your 3rd year when the delicate balance that was established crashes and burns.Hopefully, navigating adulthood will have a happier ending to it.
Relationships: Gaara (Naruto)/Original Female Character(s), Gaara (Naruto)/Reader
Comments: 6
Kudos: 42





	1. High School Fall Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are here from my One Shot collection, you can skip the first chapter. 
> 
> -Jay

You’re not quite sure when your infatuation with the redhead began. You have known about Gaara since middle school when it was first rumored that his family belonged to the yakuza. Gaara, in particular, was the scariest of the Sabaku siblings. Constantly getting into fights, making crude remarks to those around him, you once heard that he even killed a guy for looking at him the wrong way. But despite all the things said about him, you thought he was pretty cute.

“Are you crazy!” Your friends yelled at you. You just confessed to your group of friends that you thought Gaara was super cute and that you had even thought about telling him you thought so. 

“This may be the worst idea you have ever had.” Ami comments.

“C’mon, I doubt he is really as bad as everyone says he is.” You tell them.

“No. He is worse.” Yuki says, staring at you. “I heard that he punched a kid so hard the kid choked on his own teeth.”

“I heard he’s been arrested like 10 times.” Ami mentions.

“Plus, he’s not even all that cute.” Mari finally pipes up.

“Yeah!” The others agree with her. 13-year-olds can be so mean. You sigh realizing that you won’t get any support from them. Maybe, you’ll just keep admiring Gaara from afar. 

\---

And you did, for nearly 5 years. 

Now you’re in your third year of high school and your crush still hasn’t gone away. By the time middle school was over, the nasty rumors about Gaara and his family stopped spreading. This, in part, was due to him becoming friends with Naruto and his motley crew of misfits. Turns out, the Sabaku family wasn’t part of the yakuza. Instead, they owned a craft store on the Northside of town. His mom and uncle taught art classes there and they sold a vast variety of art products, his whole family also made art to be sold there. 

The fight rumors were mostly true. Turns out Gaara used to get randomly attacked all the time because of his appearance and because of some of the rumors floating around. Gaara was just defending himself in those situations, he was never the person to start the fights. 

Being around Naruto and all his friends had a positive effect on Gaara’s social skills. He began talking with more people, and he even began smiling more while at school. Needless to say that this had a highly positive impact on his social standing. So much so, that the start of this year he even managed to get a girlfriend, Ami.

You found out about it in May, the weather was super nice and you, Mari, and Yuki were all sitting on the roof enjoying the sun and breeze while waiting for Ami to join you. 

“Sorry I’m late” her voice cried as she came through the door. “The lines were Insane! But, anyway, I brought my boyfriend along so you guys can finally meet him.” She cooed.

Ami had been bragging about this boyfriend for the past month but said that because the relationship was so new, she didn’t want to make things weird by introducing him too soon. So the three of you had been pestering her to bring him around sometime. 

You had not expected Gaara to follow her through the door. You had been taking a sip of your water at the time and the shock of your crush standing with your friend promptly caused you to choke. You were thrown into a coughing fit, managing to get water everywhere. Not a good first impression.

Yuki was quick to hand you her handkerchief and help you clean up and settle yourself. You looked up and saw Gaara looking at you with both question and concern, and Ami had a look of humor and something you couldn’t quite describe.

“Uh, sorry, went down the wrong pipe.” You tried to play off as you gave a weak laugh. 

The rest of your lunch went smoother than the first few minutes. But your thoughts were preoccupied the entire time. Did Ami know that you still like Gaara? Did she forget about that conversation you had 4 years ago? Was this a serious relationship? Or was she pranking you?

Soon the bell rang and you all made your way back to your classes. Ami and Mari were in the same class, so they parted from you, Yuki and Gaara. 

“So, Gaara, will you be joining us for lunch more often, now that we’ve officially met you?” Yuki cautiously offered.

“I think so, it will depend on what Ami wants to do, but I had a nice time with you all,” Gaara says with a smile before going into the classroom. You and Yuki share a look before you follow him in. 

You were distracted for the rest of the day. Your gaze kept drifting to the back of Gaara’s head, and your questions from earlier kept circulating. By the end of the day you reached a conclusion, maybe Ami just forgot. Yeah, that’s it. Maybe she forgot about your crush on Gaara. After all, you didn’t really talk about him after that one time in middle school. 

Maybe I should just be happy for them instead. Your head said with positivity, but your heart cried in protest. 

\---

For the next month, you decided to forget your crush and Gaara, and instead focus on becoming his friend. At lunch, he, Yuki, and yourself would walk to get Ami and Mari. Then the five of you would make your way down to the cafeteria. There, Ami and Gaara would decide if they would eat with your group of Gaara’s group of friends. For the most part, it was a fifty-fifty split.

The days they would join your group the five of you would make your way up to the rooftop to eat lunch. During this period of time, you found that you and Gaara actually had a lot in common. Same taste in music, the same interest in books, you even learned that you and him both liked silent films. Discovering that you had so much in common with each other lead to a stronger friendship. Eventually, you exchanged phone numbers and began messaging one another, homework help, memes, even thoughts on the media that you two had first bonded over. 

One evening, you had been talking about the aspects of an indie film that Gaara had sent you, when you rolled over and saw that it was almost three in the morning; 

**\-------**

**TO Gaara:**

**What! How is it this late?**

**\-------**

**TO Me:**

**Oh,**

**I hadn’t realized.**

**I should let you go to bed.**

**\-------**

**TO Gaara:**

**Let me? What about you?**

**Aren’t you tired too?**

**\-------**

**TO Me:**

**No.**

**I have chronic insomnia**

**I don’t get much sleep.**

**\-------**

**TO Gaara:**

**Really?**

**Is there anything that helps it?**

**\-------**

**TO Me:**

**Not much.**

**I appreciate that you have stayed**

**up this late to talk with me though**

**\-------**

**TO Gaara:**

**Well, I can’ help any other way,**

**so let’s keep talking!**

**\-------**

The next day you were dead tired.

“I told you, you should have gone to bed.” Gaara poked fun at you while you were walking to the cafeteria. 

“Urusai~” You whined as you rubbed your eyes for the billionth time. This pulled a laugh from the redhead beside you. Ami quickly pulled Gaara away to fill up their trays while you moseyed over to grab a quick snack and drink from a nearby vending machine. Yuki grabbed her food and followed you up to the rooftop. You sat down and quickly dove into your snack, determined to finish it and take a power nap. 

“So, what was that about?” Yuki pondered sitting next to you.

“What?”

“You and Gaara were up late talking to each other?”

“Yeah, he sent me a link to this super neat indie film, and then we talked about it.” You said stuffing your face some more. “We lost track of time and I stayed up way too late.”

“Right, but, you know it’s not cool to talk to another girl’s Boyfriend. Especially if it gets late like that.” Yuki pressed.

“What? We were just talking about a movie, what’s the big deal.” You nearly snapped at her. “And besides, Gaara is my _friend, is_ it so wrong that I talk to him?” You ask.

“A friend, that you used to have a crush on. So yes, it is wrong. Especially because he is dating one of your friends.” Yuki said in a tone she thought was soothing. But honestly, it just made you mad. 

“Whatever.” You said turning your back to her as you finished your drink. You quickly folded up your jacket and laid down on the ground with your back to Yuki, signaling that you were no longer going to participate in the conversation. 

“I just want to make sure that you and Ami don’t end up fighting because of it.” Yuki tried once more to get your attention. You ignored her and quickly let yourself doze off. 

The bell signaling the end of lunch quickly roused you from your sleep. You sat up and realized that there was another jacket draped across your legs. 

“Morning sleepy head.” Mari teased as you gained your bearings back.

“You shouldn’t fall asleep in the open like that. You could get sick.” Gaara said as he offered you a hand to stand up. You took it and he hoisted you to your feet while you kept the jacket from falling to the ground. 

“I take it, this, is yours then.” You said offering him the jacket back.

“You’d be right,” Gaara said as he took it from you. You leaned down and grabbed your own jacket as your group made its way down to your classrooms. You were holding the door for everyone and as Ami passed you, she gave you a glare that struck deep in your chest, before she joined up with Gaara lacing her fingers through his. You didn’t know that Ami could give such a look. 

\---

During the next few months, Gaara and Ami didn’t join your group as frequently at lunch, and when they did some friends from Gaara’s group would also join. You didn’t mind too much. It gave you the chance to meet more people. In particular, you liked it when Naruto, Kiba, and Choji joined your group. They made lunch a lively event. Soon thereafter, your group was adopted into Naruto’s group. 

So lunch now became a decision to either eat on the roof or in the cafeteria. And to eat with Gaara and Ami, or to eat with friends from Naruto’s group. Never was a dull moment to be had amongst all of the new friends you had made. 

July meant that temperatures were increasing and the end of the term was fast approaching. So lunches were now spent inside and the time for normally screwing around was instead used for studying. Most of your teachers were giving tests, but your history teacher decided to assign a partner project instead. You were paired up with Gaara and the two of you had been working closely together to hurry up and get it finished. One less thing for you guys to worry about. 

During the school day, you would help your friends study, then after school, you and Gaara would go to one of your places to work on the project. This scheduling worked out and the two of you had the project completed a week before it was due. 

“Thank goodness.” You cried as you saved the final parts of your project. “Now with this free time, I can focus on studying for my Math test. I hope it doesn’t kill me.” You complained as you packed up your things.

“Yeah, I promised Ami that I would help her study for her English test,” Gaara said with a blush on his face. You two quietly put your things away, then you turned and looked at him.

“You really like Ami, huh?” You asked him.

“Yeah, I really do.” He said turning to you with a large smile on his face.

“I’m glad.” You said to him, genuinely meaning it as a smile bloomed on your face. “Well, I’d better head home.” You told him as you left. 

If someone told you this was the last positive interaction you would have with Gaara, maybe you would have left differently.

\---

The week of testing flew by. You passed all of your classes, and that meant that you were free to enjoy your summer break. Upon talking with your friends you all made plans to go to the beach, the movies, and to find some time to hang out with each other in general. You were super excited to get to see them without the stress of tests looming over your heads, but the first week went by and you hadn’t heard anything from your friends. No big deal, most of them were probably visiting family or had other plans. It was fine. Week two rolled past and you hadn’t heard anything either. So you reached out to the group chat and dropped a message.

**\-------**

**TO: GROUP**

**Hope your breaks are going well**

**Anyone have a thought on when we should all meet up?**

**\-------**

No response.

Week three and you were tired of being at home with nothing to do. So your mom suggested you took your siblings down to the beach. Before the words left her mouth your two younger brothers were already screaming their joy. 

The 5 and 8-year-old were just as ready to get out of the house as you were, so you agreed to take them. You packed a bag and changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top while your mom got the boys ready. Haru readily grabbed onto your hand while Tendo declared that as an 8-year-old, he was plenty big enough to walk without you (but he did hold it at intersections because fast traffic was scary he needed to keep you safe). 

One train ride later you made it to the beach. Upon seeing the sand the two boys promptly took off. You chased after them and made sure they knew some ground rules before they took off again. You laid out a blanket and sat on it while you watched the two of them play in the sand and water. Getting out your phone you quickly checked for any new messages, seeing none you instead opened your camera and took pictures of your brothers and yourself to remember the day by. 

Eventually, the boys were bored of playing by themselves so they came over to the blanket to see what you had packed for a snack. They each quickly devoured a granola bar before they were off to play, Tendo dragging you with. The three of you quickly built a sandcastle before barking in the distance drew your attention away.

“Puppy,” Haru said while he pointed up the beach. Running toward you was the largest dog you had ever seen before and its owner chasing right behind him. The dog was moving so quickly, it startled Tendo into hiding behind you and Haru and crawled into your lap attempting to avoid the dog as well. Just as the dog was upon you a loud and angry voice called.

“Akamaru, heel!” The dog skated to a stop, throwing sand everywhere and sitting right in front of you. Akamaru looked down at you, his nose nearly pressed to yours, and suddenly began licking all over your face pulling a squeal from your lips. Soon, Akamaru had you and Haru pinned to the ground while Tendo jumped away.

“Hey! What’s the big idea! Can’t you control your dog!” Tendo yelled as the owner walked up.

“My bad. He totally got away from me.” A familiar voice said. 

“Kiba?” You asked, sitting up, Akamaru now back at his owner’s side.

“Hey! What are you doing here? I thought you said you couldn’t make it?” Kiba questioned as he helped you up from the sand.

“Couldn’t make it? What are you talking about?” You questioned as you set Haru down. 

“To the beach party? Yuki, Ami, and Mari said that you caught that Summer cold that was going around and you wouldn’t make it. We were kinda bummed, you’re way more fun than some of the others-” Kiba stopped when he saw the look of confusion on your face. Thankfully, Akamaru was keeping the boys entertained while you dealt with this.

“Didn’t you see, the group chat?” Kiba now questioned while he pulled out his phone and handed it to you. 

  
**\-------**

**TO: SUMMER PLANS 20XX**

**Ami- Okay, so let's meet up at the station**

**tomorrow and we can go to the beach together.**

**\-------**

**Yuki- Does 10 am still work?**

**\-------**

**Mari- Yup!**

**\-------**

**Sasuke- We already decided this last week,**

**why the review.**

**\-------**

**Shikamaru- Calm down, it helps to know we’re all on the same page.**

**\-------**

**Choji- Yeah! Me and Shino will bring the snacks!**

**\-------**

**Shino- Better to check now than to scramble tomorrow.**

**\-------**

**Ino - Sakura and I will bring some drinks for everyone.**

**\-------**

**Sakura- Hinata, Temari, you guys are bringing**

**the entertainment right?**

**\-------**

**Temari- Yes, and Kankuro and Gaara will be bringing anything**

**extra we may need.**

**\-------**

**Naruto- I’m so excited!!**

**\-------**

**TO: SUMMER PLANS 20XX**

**Ha! Then we’re all set!**

**Also, I’m gonna bring Akamaru,**

**\-------**  
  


You stopped reading and handed the phone back to Kiba. Your gut sank, and you could feel the tears prick the back of your eyes.

“I thought you were a part of this group too,” Kiba trailed off, soon realizing what had happened, “that's why we didn’t respond to your other group chat because everything was being planned here.” You shook your head and showed him your phone. No new chat. Kiba fidgeted with his device for a few more minutes. 

“I’m sorry, that happened. Do you want to come back with me and join the others?” Kiba asked. He saw the tears forming and really didn’t want you to be upset.

“No,” You said, your voice breaking as you turned from him, “No, I-I, I think we’re gonna go home.” You wiped your eyes and moved back to where your things were. “Tendo! Haru! Are you ready to leave?” You asked your brothers. They could sense you were upset about something and decided that they weren’t going to argue to stay longer. You quickly packed up your things and began to leave. 

“Hey!” Kiba yelled, gaining your attention, “I really am sorry about that.” You just shrugged your shoulders.

“What can you do?” You rhetorically asked, and walked away with Tendo and Haru. 

The three of you made it home and you took your shoes off by the door, setting the bag down to be dealt with later. 

“That was quick,” Your mom commented as Tendo and Haru brushed past her to go clean up. “Hardly a trip if you ask me.” You turned to face her and she saw the tears streaming down your face. You tried to keep it together during the journey home, not wanting to upset the boys. But your heart hurt. 

“Oh honey, what happened.” At her soothing voice and sob ripped from your throat and you threw yourself into her arms. 

Once you had calmed down, you told her what happened. After you explained everything, your mom sent you to wash up while she made dinner. That night you sat on the floor of the living room staring at your phone. Tendo came in and handed you a cup of hot chocolate. 

“Mom says it’ll make you feel better.” He said with a shrug. You smiled at him and took the cup taking a sip. 

“Did it work?” Tendo asked. You laughed and gave him a nod. Tendo stood next to you for a while longer before he sighed and leaned down wrapping his arms around you. You returned the hug and gave him a tight squeeze. 

“I don’t like when you’re sad. So you get a hug, because I know they make you happy.” Tendo was not a big hugger, so it made this one more special to you. When he pulled away you promised him that you would make up the beach day to him later on. He smiled and took off to get ready for bed. 

Tendo helped, but your heart still throbbed dully in your chest. 

\---

Soon summer break was over and it was back to school. You had spent the rest of the break by yourself or with your family. You watched via social media as your friends, again and again, hung out without you. They never texted you, and you were never added to the group chat. You thought that going back to school would be easy, and the weirdness from the summer would have worn off. 

You were wrong.

When you got to class you saw that both Yuki and Gaara were there. So you approached them with a smile on your face, happy to see them again.

“Hey guys! How was the break?” You asked them. Gaara and Yuki looked at each other, then with a nod, Gaara left to take his seat. That was weird.

“Uh, did you do anything exciting over the break?” You tried again now that it was just you and Yuki.

“Not really,” She said dismissively while shifting away from you. “ But, um, there is something I need to talk to you about.” She said hesitantly. 

“Oh, sure go ahead,” You began. However, Yuki didn’t get the chance as the teacher arrived ushering you all to your seats. This is weird, you thought to yourself

Classes went by quickly and soon it was lunchtime. You stood up from your seat ready to go meet with your friends to eat. You are stopped though when Yuki places her hand on your shoulder. You watch Yuki as she watches Gaara leave the classroom. You clear your throat and she looks back to you. 

“Are we gonna go get food or?” You begin. Yuki lets out a sigh and turns her full attention to you. 

“About earlier, I have something to tell you.” She starts again. The classroom is now empty, and a nervous ball has taken residence in your stomach.

“Ami doesn’t think you should eat lunch with us anymore,” Yuki says.

“What?” You question.

“Yeah, she says that you’ve been making Gaara uncomfortable, and thinks that it is best if you distance yourself from him.”

“And she couldn’t tell me that herself?” You demand. 

“It’s just that, she thought you might get, hostile, like you are now, and didn’t want to put herself in a dangerous situation.” 

“Hostile? Dangerous? What are you talking about?” You question again.

“Listen, Ami knows that you like Gaara, and at first it was fine, but you need to remember that she is dating him, not you.” Yuki says with a frustrated tone, “And Mari and I agree with her, so we want to distance ourselves from you too. Maybe once you apologize, we can be friends again.” Yuki says as if it is the easiest thing in the world.

“Apologize?! I don’t even know what I did wrong.” You practically yell. 

“I’m sure,” Yuki flippantly responds. She quickly turns and walks away and you flop into your seat attempting to digest what just happened.

You stay seated there until the bell rings. Your classmates file back into the classroom and the school day continues. At the end of the day, Yuki and Gaara leave and join Ami and Mari outside your classroom. The four of them leave you behind, and you walk home by yourself. 

You sat in your room quietly for a long time before you got your phone out.

**\-------**

**TO: Ami**

**Hey,**

**I know that you’re mad**

**But I don’t know why.**

**Can you just clue me in?**

**\-------**  
  


Ami never responded. At three in the morning, you found yourself texting someone else.

**\-------**

**TO: Gaara**

**Hey, can we talk?**

**\-------**

**TO: Me**

**...**

**About what?**

**\-------**

**TO:Gaara:**

**I guess I’m a little confused**

**Yuki told me that I make you uncomfortable**

**Is that true?**

**\-------**

**TO: Me**

**...**

**Yes**

**\-------**

**TO: Gaara**

**What?**

**For how long?**

**Why didn’t you tell me earlier?**

**More importantly why?**

**\-------**

**TO: Me**

**You know why.**

**\-------**

**TO: Gaara**

**No, I don’t**

**I tried texting Ami and she isn’t responding.**

**...**

**Look, whatever it is,**

**Can you just tell me?**

**I can’t fix it if I don’t know.**

**\-------**

**TO: Me**

**Maybe Ami has a reason not to respond**

**…**

**I think you do know what you did, and I don’t**

**want to be your friend anymore because of it.**

**Please delete my number.**

**\-------**

**TO: Gaara**

**What?**

**C’mon this is crazy.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Gaara?**

**\-------**

Gaara stopped responding to your texts. Ami never returned your message. Yuki wasn’t answering either. Mari decided she didn’t want any part of it either. For the rest of the night you sat there and thought about what happened. 

  1. Your friends don’t want to be friends anymore because of something that happened.
  2. Now you don’t have anyone to eat lunch with (or hang out with).
  3. But! You have new friends!
  4. Technically they are Gaara’s friends. 
  5. Would they want to be your real friend now? Or would they take his side?
  6. You have no friends. 



The next day at school you looked worse for wear. Safe to assume you did not sleep well at all. So once again, you numbly sat through class until lunch came around. Then, you were the first one out of your seat and walking toward the cafeteria. You got a tray of food and scanned a spot to sit. You noticed that Gaara’s group of friends are sitting at one of the large tables in the middle of the cafeteria. And you noticed that Ami wasn’t with him. Meaning she was most likely up on the roof. Alright, no cafeteria and no roof. Instead, you made your way to the courtyard and found a tree to sit under. This remained your routine until October rolled around, and it was just a bit too chilly to eat outside. 

With a brave face, you took your tray and found an empty table to eat at. After 2 months, you have grown accustomed to eating by yourself. So you’re shocked when a head of black hair sits down in front of you. You blankly stare at Sasuke as he starts eating.

“You haven’t been around,” Sasuke dully says.

“Uh, yeah, apparently I’m not wanted around anymore.” You vaguely say as you pick at your food,

“Hn.” Sasuke utters, and you figure that is where it will end. “You’re wanted more than others.” 

This took you by surprise, but it did bring a smile to your face. 

You remained friendly with Sasuke, he appreciated that you were quiet in comparison to other students. He wasn’t the only one that liked your mellow personality. Frequently Shikamaru, Shino, and Hinata would join you and Sasuke when the other group grew too rambunctious. 

\---

The end of the term was once again near and you thought that this meant whatever happened at the start of the term would be over. But it seemed like you were still being proven wrong. 

During your history class your teacher announced that the last projects were so successful, he wanted you all to do them again. This would prove what you learned this term as well as show how you improved since the last term. He said that you would have the same partners as last time. Hope grew in your chest as your head quickly swiveled toward Gaara. Everyone else in the room moved to locate their partners, while you sat and stared at Gaara. He stared at the teacher before Gaara got up and walked toward him. You watched as Gaara quietly spoke to the teacher. The teacher looked concerned before he turned and looked at you nodding to what Gaara was saying. The teacher patted Gaara on the shoulder and gave a nod. Gaara bowed and then made his way to his seat avoiding looking at you the entire time. 

“Shikamaru and Gaara, due to a conflict, the two of you will be switching partners.” Your teacher announced to the whole of the class. You whipped your head to look at Gaara, blatant shock on your face, while the rest of the class whispered about what the conflict could be. Eventually, you gathered your things and sat with Shikamaru. 

Honestly, this project wasn’t nearly as successful as the last one. Not that Shikamaru wasn’t a good partner, he was, it’s just that he isn’t as driven as Gaara was. The two of you get the project done in your spare time, and you finish out the term.

Your grades weren’t as strong this term, but your parents understood you were going through a lot. But with your new-found group of friends, you strongly finished the school year and graduated. You wanted to get away from everyone and try to put the past year behind you. So you decided to move to the next town over in pursuance of an art degree. Your parents hoped that starting University would be better for you.


	2. Confessions from a Broken Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the dust settles, and confessions are made, the air becomes clear and easier to breath.

It was during your second semester, you made friends with an unlikely person.

Art History class. You found a seat near the front of the class. Just as you are settling in, a blonde head of hair drops in next to you.

“Hope you don’t mind if I take this seat.” The girl says digging in her bag for her own materials. 

“No, I don’t mind,” You say introducing yourself.

“Oh, I know you. Last year you used to come over to my house a lot. One of Gaara’s friends. I’m Temari,” She states while offering a smile.

“Y-yes, or um, I used to be. I don’t think we’re friends anymore.” You timidly tell her. 

“That’s a shame,” Temari says with a shrug. “It seemed like you guys were really close.” She pointed out before going back to her notebook, ready to listen.

You and Temari became fast friends, and you now consider her to be your best friend. You two become so close that the next year the two of you end up moving in together. And as roommates, you become more comfortable around her and vice versa.

Now in your last year of University, you are studying at home (still in your shared apartment with Temari) and Temari comes home from working in her family’s shop. 

“What’s got you so happy?” You asked her. Temari was practically dancing as she came into the dining room. She slams her hands down on the table you’re sitting at, effectively caging you between her arms.

“Gaara finally dumped that slimy, insincere, wretched girlfriend.” Temari practically yelled in your face.

“Ami and Gaara broke up?” You asked in disbelief.

“Yeah! After 5 long years. Kankuro and I have been trying to get him to realize she is not a nice girl for so long.” Temari complains as she flops down in the free chair.

“What happened?” You pondered. Last year you told Temari everything that happened in your final year of high school. Temari had told you that she hadn’t ever liked Ami and the other girls that she hung out with. Something always seemed to rub her the wrong way when Ami would be around. 

“Turns out they got into a huge fight after Gaara learned that Ami had lied to him about something,” Temari explains as she moves to the kitchen to make dinner for the two of you. 

“Did he say what it was?” You pressed, actively invested in what happened.

“No,” Temari said as she began cooking, “But apparently, it was bad enough that Gaara blocked her number and all her media outlets. He even moved back home with mom and dad to work at the shop. Ami even called the shop today during my and Gaara’s shift. He hung up on her and refused to answer any other calls that came in.” She finished with a laugh.

Her explanation made you think about your old friends. What could have possibly made things so bad that Gaara and Ami broke up? In the last face to face conversations that you had with Gaara, he was super happy. But, that was nearly 5 years ago. You decided that it was best to just let it go instead. 

“Oh! Before I forget,” Temari starts, “Kankuro is starting a new project and won’t have as much availability to work at the store, my mom asked me if you would be interested in working part-time?” She was focused on the pot in front of her, so Temari missed your shocked expression.

“Ah, are you sure? There may still be some bad blood between Gaara and me.” You didn’t want to make things weird or uncomfortable. 

“Pft, if we could all put up with his bad girlfriend, I think he can handle MY friend working at the shop. You’re one of the best candidates also, mom wants to offer more classes and you have a background in digital media.” Temari explained. 

“Well, when you put it like that.” You began to say, “Then I would like to work with you.” You tell her with a smile. “It will be nice to have a solid job in between the freelancing I’ve been doing.”

\---

So with that agreement, you begin to work at the Sabaku art shop in your free time. Every 3rd Saturday you teach a digital media class at the shop, and on Sundays, you and Temari teach basic drawing courses. 

You’re there for nearly a month when you and Gaara meet again. Que, awkward silence.

“Hi,” You meekly say, feeling out the room.

“Hello.” Gaara says back, “Kankuro was supposed to work, but he is caught up in his other project. I’m here to cover for him.” Gaara mentions. You nod to him. The two of you stand there again in silence until the phone rings drawing your attention.

“Sabaku Arts and Crafts, how can I-” You’re abruptly cut off by the voice on the other end.

“Yeah, I’m looking for Gaara, is he in today?” The voice shrilly asks.

“Ami?” Your question, hearing the name Gaara shoots a nearly panicked look your way. 

“Yes, now is Gaara there or not?” She asks, not realizing that it is you on the phone. You stand there staring back at Gaara.

“No, he’s not.”

“Fine, can you leave a message for him?” Ami asks again.

“Yes. I will let him know.” You tell her before you hang up the phone. “Ami called for you.” You tell Gaara before you move from behind the counter, intending to start unpacking the newest products that came in.

“Thank you for doing that,” Gaara says as he kneels beside you and begins to help you unpack the boxes. 

The two of you quietly sort the items until the box is empty. You fidget with the final box of colored pencils before you look up at him.

“I’m sorry about your relationship.” You quietly tell him. He looks down at the supplies surrounding the two of you, in quiet contemplation. Then he looks up at you, something in his eyes flickers, but you can’t put a name to it.

“I’m not.” He finally says while he gives you a soft smile. 

The two of you quickly get back to work and before you know it the day has ended. 

Steadily, your relationship with Gaara grew back to what it was before summer break all those years ago. Several months had passed and now, with your relationship repaired, it was easier to hang out with the rest of the family. You were frequently invited to dinner and movie nights at the Sabaku house. And every other Friday you and the three siblings would go out and try different bars in the city. 

On one such Friday night, you four were enjoying a little hole in the wall place near your’s and Temari’s apartment. The plan was to go for a few drinks, then crash at your apartment after. 

Currently, Temari was sitting at the bar, flirting with the bartender, Kankuro was dancing with some girl that bumped into him earlier, and you and Gaara were holding down the booth you had managed to snag. The two of you were laughing about a disgruntled customer that the two of you had to tend to before closing up the shop for the night. The lady was very upset that you did not carry an arbitrary specific brush that she had wanted. Then scoffed when you offered a different brand. 

“I mean seriously! A Siberian Weasel hair paintbrush?! Who would buy something like that!” You ask laughing. 

“Synthetic brushes do the same thing, and don’t cost $300,” Gaara said with a smirk.

“Exactly!” You exclaimed, sending you both laughing once again. Once you both gained your breaths back, you ordered another round of drinks as you finished the one you were already on. The waitress dropped off your order and you took a long drink of it, deciding that you need some liquid courage for the next question you wanted to ask.

“Ya’know, there has been something that has always bothered me about the way things ended between us.” You slowly start, now moving your eyes from the man across the table from you. Gaara nervously shifts but gives his full attention to you regardless. 

“What happened during summer break that last year of school?” You ask after a nervous beat. Gaara pauses, thinking over his response. Then, he looks around the bar meeting the eyes of his siblings before giving them a nod. Gaara looks back to you and makes a motion to the door. 

“Let’s go talk somewhere quieter.” He says as he stands from your table. You follow him and the two of you make your way out into the streets. At nearly one in the morning, there is no one else about when you two settle down on a park bench. 

“I owe you an apology for what transpired at that time.” Gaara begins, not looking at you. “This is also part of the reason that Ami and myself broke up. When summer break started, Ami came over and told me that she needed to tell me something. We talked, and she said that in middle school, you were one of the people that used to spread rumors about me and that you were only being nice now so you could get more information to ruin my reputation” Your breath caught at this statement, and before you could say anything Gaara continued.

“I despised you, because at that time, I still had trust issues, and people were still spreading rumors about me and my family. Ami said that she thought you had grown out of that stuff otherwise she wouldn’t have introduced us. I believed her, and more so I believed when Yuki said that she didn’t like hanging out with you because you would talk ill of Ami and me when we weren’t there. And the final thread was that Yuki was convinced that you were purposefully trying to break us up. So I thought that it was best to stop being friends with you and Ami agreed.” Gaara finally said. 

You were speechless. The girls that you thought had been your friend had actually stabbed you in the back. 

“It came to light a few months ago what had actually happened. Mari had reached out and clarified that Ami was actually jealous of you. That Ami had purposefully turned me and all your other friends against you.” Gaara said, gripping the fabric of his jeans. 

“I only wish that I had listened when Sasuke and Shikamaru had said that Ami was no good. Then maybe you wouldn’t have had a miserable time because of me.” Gaara finished, not looking at you. 

It felt like a weight had been lifted from your chest. All these years, wondering what you had done to lose so many friends. You let out a shaky breath and tears pricked your eyes at what Gaara had revealed. Before you knew it, you had thrown your arms around his shoulders and pulled him into a hug. Gaara sat frozen for a moment, before returning the embrace. 

“I hope you know that I would never say anything bad about you or your family.” You whisper against the redhead. 

“I do now, I’m sorry it took so long to realize it,” Gaara replied. The two of you sat there for quite some time before a cold breeze ripped through the streets. A shiver erupted from your body, and you both decided that it was time to go home. Gaara wrapped his jacket around your shoulders and the two of you walked side by side to your apartment. 

When you got there Temari and Kankuro had already beaten you home. Kankuro had passed out on the couch and when you peeked into Temari’s room you saw two bodies in there. With a smirk on your face, you gently closed the door. You and Gaara got changed into lounging clothes before you ushered him into your room. You plugged in the fairy lights you had in your room and grabbed your laptop. Gaara still suffered from insomnia so you pulled up your archive of silent films and placed the computer between the two of you. With the movie playing, you slowly fell asleep while Gaara sat up for the remainder of the night, occasionally dozing in and out.

\---

Before you knew it another 6 months had passed and Christmas was right around the corner. Your mom was pestering you to visit with your friends once again. 

“Come on honey, think of it as a mini-vacation for everyone! Your father and I would love the extra company, and your brothers have missed you dearly.” Your mom whined one night while on the phone with you. Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro all heard her loud request as you were all sitting in their parent’s living room.

“Okay, mom, I will ask, but I make no promises.” You finally tell her. With an excited exclamation she hangs up the phone and you simply shake your head smiling at the others. 

“I think that it is a great idea,” Temari offers. 

“Yeah, it’d be nice to get away,” Kankuro adds.

“Mom and dad could use more adult friends,” Gaara finished just as said parents and Yashamaru walk in.

“Now I take offense to that,” Yashamaru explains making the lot of you laugh. Once the laughter dies down you explain what had transpired beforehand. 

“That sounds lovely,” Kakura softly claims.

And like that, the whole of the Sabaku family was coming to your family home for the holidays. Rasa and Kakura agreed to close the shop from the 23rd until the New Year. 

Now you just had to wait for that time. 

After graduating from college, you decided to keep working at the family shop while taking on freelance jobs here and there. It was one of the days that you and Gaara were in the shop that drama quickly caught up. 

The two of you were laughing about a meme that Temari had sent over the group chat when the bell at the front went off signaling that someone had come in. 

“Welcome to Sabaku Arts and Crafts, how can I help-” The words died on your lips. Standing there, in an obnoxiously pink coat was Ami. She looked at you and came to a halt. Gaara came from around the corner when he heard your voice die off. Seeing Ami standing there he dropped the box that was in his hands. 

“Ami,” He said, but her eyes were still stuck on you. Ami rolled her eyes at you and moved to stand near Gaara. 

“I need to talk with you.” Ami said, her eyes darted to you then back to Gaara, “Alone.”

“No.” Gaara sharply said, moving away from her to stand at your side. 

“This doesn’t involve them.” Ami chirped attempting to ignore your presence. 

“It does, because of what you did,” Gaara replied.

“Well, look, I came here to apologize.” Ami practically cried.

“I don’t think you are.” Gaara said, “I think you are sorry that you were caught. But you are not sorry for your actions those years ago.” Ami let the words sink in, then practically stomped her feet like a child as she turned on you.

“Are you happy! It is always about you!” She yelled with a finger pointing at you. “You always had to be better than me! At everything!”

“Ami,” You tried to interrupt her.

“No!” She shouted as she began pacing, “Better grades, better at extracurriculars, better hobbies, hell, you were even better at making friends! So forgive me if I wanted you to hurt for once!” She continued

“Ami.” You raised your voice, seeing where this was going. 

“The one thing I was better at than you thought, was manipulating people against you! So I did it! I stole the guy you liked and turned everyone against you!”

“Ami!” You screamed, “Enough!” You finally gained her attention. The two of you wore matching shocked expressions. You could feel the panic rising in your chest at being outed to Gaara like that. Your relationship had just got back to being friends, then this happened. Your face flushed at the embarrassment Ami caused. 

“Ami, why are you here?” Gaara calmly asked, not letting on his thoughts at what had happened. Ami let out a sigh before turning to him.

“I guess, I was going to try and get back with you if I’m being honest. But you had to be here to ruin it.” She spits at you.

“You did that yourself,” Gaara interjects as he steps in between you two. “I would like you to leave now.” He gently ushers her outside and begins to lock up the front of the store. At the new silence, you feel like throwing up. Ami just told Gaara that you had liked him. The room felt like it was spinning, so you leaned up against the counter. Your breathing picked up and it felt like your lungs were constricting. 

The next thing you knew you were sitting on the ground, leaning up against the side of the counter, with Gaara kneeling in front of you. He was calling your name, and you did your best to focus on his mouth.

“Deep breaths now, just copy me.” He grabbed your hand and placed it against his chest while he pressed your other hand against your own. Eventually, your breathing matched his and you had calmed down. When he was no longer afraid that you might pass out, Gaara scooted back and placed your hands in your lap. Quickly, you drew them up and over your face. 

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.” You mumbled out, taking another deep breath before wiping your eyes after realizing you had started crying. 

“It’s okay,” Gaara said, smiling at you. “How about we finish closing up, then we can go watch a movie?” He bargained. You gave a nod at the suggestion and Gaara helped you up off the floor. 

You two locked up the shop and then walked to your apartment. Things were silent between the two of you while you walked, and remained quiet until after you got to your apartment. Gaara diverged to the kitchen, while you went to your room to change into comfortable clothes and get the movie set up. Just as you queued it up, Gaara came in sporting two mugs of cocoa in hand. He carefully climbed into your bed, sitting next to you and handing you one of the mugs. Once settled in, Gaara wrapped his arm around you and tucked you into his side, attempting to comfort the panic still coursing through your veins. The movie started, and the two of you sat and watched in complete silence. By the time you had finished your coco, your skin was crawling. 

Why hadn’t he said anything about the shop? What did he think of Ami’s outburst? Did he care about what she said? Of course, he did, that isn’t something that is ignored. But why wasn’t he saying anything? Your head was swimming and your heart rate picked up. 

As if sensing your discomfort, Gaara leaned forward and paused the movie. Silence filled the room. Gaara turned and looked at you. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked sympathetically. You didn’t respond to him. You weren’t sure what to say. Gaara sighed then moved so he was in front of you.

“If this is about what Ami said, I already knew,” Gaara said in a soothing voice. “When Mari told me what happened. She mentioned Ami’s distaste for you. And she spoke about your,” He paused “crush from middle school. Mari explained that Ami used that as a way to hurt you.” He finished, looking at you. “So I knew about it. Before I ran into you at the store.”

Tears were pricking your eyes at the information. With a small sniff, you pat at your eyes, wiping away the budding tears. 

“Why didn’t you say anything,” You ask with a wavering voice.

“It wasn’t my place.” He said. “Mari shouldn’t have disclosed it to me, it is your secret for you to share with those you trust.” He emphasized trust, “But Mari told me because it was part of Ami’s incentive to hurt you.” You two slipped into silence once again. 

“Please know, that has not changed my opinion of you. And I do still want to be your friend. The past few months have been pleasant, and I don’t want to lose that.” Gaara said. He grasped your hand in his as the tears now streamed down your face while you silently cried into the other one, nodding your head.

Gaara pulled you into a hug, and the two of you went back to watching the movie. Your heart was put at considerable ease for the time being.

-

Before you knew it, the holidays had finally arrived, and you were getting packed into the Sabaku van with the rest of the family. You gave them directions to the vacation home that belonged to your mom’s side of the family, then you were off. The vacation home was located in the mountains and was a large property. Your family used to gather there frequently for large reunions, but it had been a while since one of those.

After driving for nearly two hours the van pulled into the driveway of the property. A 3 story, 20 room home, with a large sitting and tea rooms, kitchen, outdoor baths, and more. 

“You’re family owns this place?” Temari asked in complete awe.

“Sort of,” You hesitantly say, “More like my grandparent’s company owns it. They use it for all sorts of business getaways. But my grandparents have a timeshare worked out. So during the holidays and 2 weeks during the summer they reserve it for family time.” You explain to the Sabaku family. An air of silence falls around you all, and just as you’re about to break it your brother does for you. 

“You’re here!” The now ten-year-old Haru yells as he comes barreling down the drive toward you. When he is about a foot away, he launches himself at you and throws his arms around you. “I’ve missed you,” he cries out burying his face in your stomach. 

“I’ve missed you too bud.” You coo back to him wrapping your arms around him. 

“It’s about time you got here.” Tendo drawled from the doorway, standing with his arms crossed over his chest. “ Mom’s been freaking out.” 

“Hi Tendo,” You said with a smile, the 13-year old smiled back before going back inside. 

You pat Haru on the back and let go of him before you move to grab your bag and escort your friends into the house. 

Inside your parents were bustling around the house, last-minute preparations, and all that. Your small group stood there for almost a minute before your mom finally noticed.

“Oh Hi!” She giddily exclaimed. “You made it!” The background bustle was quickly halted as introductions were made. A feat that took longer than it should have, but everyone seemed to be having a good time. Once the chaos had settled, you helped direct people to their rooms, then made your way to yours.

You flopped down onto the bed, ready to take a breath and relax before dinner was served. Just as you closed your eyes and took a deep breath there was a knock at your door. It slowly opened and revealed Gaara standing there. 

“I came to get you for dinner.” He said. A groan left your lips as you flopped back down. Gaara laughed at you and came to sit next to you on your bed. 

“I just relaxed.” You whined, pulling another small laugh from the ginger. 

“Come on,” He stood up and grabbed both of your hands pulling you up from your horizontal position. You two walked down to the dining area together and found you were the last to show up.

“I just want to thank you all so much for taking care of my baby.” Your mom was saying as you and Gaara walked in, “We were so nervous sending them off for school after what happened there last year of school.” She explained further. You and Gaara gave each other a look.

“Something happened? They never told us about it. In fact, Gaara, didn’t the two of you graduate at the same time?” Karura asked, turning and looking at the two of you. A flash of guilt quickly entered and exited Gaara’s eyes.

“Yeah, some friend drama at the time. But, uh, Gaara and I didn’t really know one another back then. I think we had some classes together right?” You faux asked him, not wanting to cause more questions to arise.

“Yeah.” Gaara softly answered back. 

“I see, that is too bad then.” Karura replied, “But I am glad that you are friends now, and that you are a part of our family also.” She said with a smile. 

You could feel the tension melt from the room at her words. You pat Gaara on the back and move to sit at the table. As if waking the redhead up, he moves from his spot and joins you at the table. 

Christmas Eve is spent putting the final touches on decorations throughout the manor. Mostly the kids doing the decorating while the adults were cooking and baking. Kankuro and Temari were helping Haru make paper snowflakes while you and Gaara were helping Tendo hang garland and lights. Tendo was up on the ladder, you were handing him decorations, and Gaara was supporting the ladder. You were listening to Haru laughing when Tendo cleared his throat and looked down at you and Gaara.

“You may have been forgiven by my older sibling,” Tendo starts, looking directly into Gaata’s eyes, “But I haven’t yet. I don’t know how you became friends, but I will never forget that you abandoned them.” Tendo finished with a cold look. 

“Hey, Tendo-”

“That is what I deserve, and honestly speaking, I don’t know what I did to earn their friendship back either. But I will do my best to make it up to them every day.” Gaara said in return. Tendo smirked.

“Make sure you do.” The thirteen-year-old said. Then it was back to work, while you speechlessly absorbed the interaction that happened. 

Soon enough the decorations were all set up, the baking was done, and a few pizzas were ordered. 

“Okay, pizzas are on their way, is there anything else you need before we take off Yashamaru?” Your mom asked as she donned her coat. She, your father, and the Sabaku parents were all heading out for a couples night. The first in a while for both couples.

“I think we are set here,” Yashamaru said with a smile on his face. He was in charge (for all intents and purposes) of all of you. Technically, only Tendo and Haru needed supervision, but earlier someone did break a vase and all the parents' herd were six different ‘it wasn’t me’.

“We will try not to be gone long, but don’t stay up too late!” Your mom called as both couples left.

As soon as the door clicked shut everyone made a mad dash for the entertainment room. A widescreen TV provided the perfect means to play Vario Cart. While Kankuro was getting spanked by your brothers, Yashamaru was still attempting to figure out the controls, Temari was capturing every moment, and you and Gaara were laughing along. 

“Agh! Those damn shells!’ Kankuro yelled as he was knocked out of first place right before the finish line. As the race finished there was a knock at the door.

“Bet the pizza is here, mind helping me?” You asked Gaara as you got up. He followed you to the maintenance and you both greeted the delivery driver while bringing in the pizzas. Soon the table was set and everyone was digging in. More laughs were shared around the table, Haru making everyone laugh with his stories from school. 

“And it was so muddy that anytime someone tried to kick the ball they slipped and fell into the mud! The teacher was really mad!” Haru yelled with a laugh. 

“Only because you all ran through the school after playing in the mud.” Tendo quickly tacked on making the rest of you laugh. 

Once the food was gone, everyone was quickly ushered back into the entertainment room to watch a movie and wind down for the night. After a quick fight about what to watch (Tendo wanted Die Hard, Haru wanted ELF, and Kankuro wanted Home Alone) everyone settled on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. You and Temari grabbed blankets from the hallway while Gaara and Yashamaru went off to make Hot Cocoa for everyone. Everyone was snug in their blankets when Yashamaru came back to hand out mugs. 

“Where’s Gaara?” Temari asked her uncle.

“Ran off to plug in his phone before the movie,” Yashamaru explained. Just as he finished that sentence, Gaara came back in with the last of the cocoa. He handed one to Tendo before he sat down next to you. Cocoa in hand and snuggled into a blanket, everyone sat back to watch the movie. 

Halfway through and everyone had managed to doze off. You even found yourself leaning against Gaara and drifting in and out of sleep. A slight nudge from your couch mate woke you fully.

“Come outside with me,” He said as he quietly got up from the couch and left. You carefully moved Tendo, who was resting against your legs and filled the redhead out to the back area. Gaara was sitting with his feet dangling off the deck. You moved to sit beside him and draped the blanket that you brought out around both of your shoulders. Gaara gave you a smile at the gesture then let his gaze drift out across the yard. The two of you sat in the calm quiet for several moments before Gaara broke the silence. 

“I do hope you know how sorry I am about what happened back in school.” He said.

“I know, and I have already forgiven you. It wasn’t entirely your fault.” You replied bumping your shoulder against his. He gave a smile to you.

“I know that,” Gaara said and you both slipped back into a comfortable silence. He gave a big sigh and reached for your hand, lacing his fingers with yours. “I had something else I wanted to say too.” His grip tightened, showing his nerves. “I have been so joyous to have you back in my life. Moreover, I am grateful that we were able to rekindle our friendship, and that we successfully made it stronger than before.”

His hand was shaking in yours. You gripped his hand back and offered a kind smile in support.

“I must confess,” Gaara began again, “I had a crush on you back in middle school. There was one day when I was asked to retrieve a stack of notebooks from the teachers' office. I was walking back to class when some boys from another class knocked the stack from my hands and ran off. I was frustrated, and at that moment, I was ready to ask my parents about transferring schools to start over. But then, you showed up out of nowhere. You gave me the kindest smile, despite the rumors that had circulated the school, and helped me pick up the notebooks. I even remember what you said to me that day.”

“Don’t worry about those jerks. And don’t let this ruin your day.” You finished for him. 

“You helped me carry those notebooks to my class. You were the first person who was genuinely nice to me. I noticed you around the school and I realized that you were just that kind to everyone. Then, during our last year of middle school, we were placed in the same class, and I thought I would get the courage to ask you out, but you were always surrounded by your friends.

“So I convinced myself that I would be able to do so in high school. Then, Ami confessed to me, and at the time, I was excited that someone was showing an interest in me, so I agreed to go out with her. Dating Ami also meant that you and I could become closer friends, which is what I thought I wanted. 

“Then, Ami lied to me about you. When she told me you were the one behind those rumors I should have known that you were too nice for rumors like that. But I was hurt at the thought that you were pretending to be nice to me. So for all that time, I decided to ignore what my brain knew to be true, and listened to my hurt heart instead.” Gaara reached into his pocket and pulled out a maroon box handing it to you.

“I have learned that I should have listened to my brain back then. And now, I am also listening to my heart.” He gave a nod to the box. You opened it and on the inside was a simple silver ring on a simple silver chain. The ring was one that you pointed out to Gaara on Artsy that you had wanted. At that time, you had explained that you would never buy it for yourself because wearing rings was hard to do while teaching art classes.

“I’m hoping you will give me the chance to pursue our relationship further,” Gaara asked looking at you. 

With tears in the corner of your eyes, smile at the redhead and give an eager nod. You throw your arms around his shoulders and pull Gaara into a hug that knocks the blanket from your shoulders. He returns the hug and pulls your body tight against his relieved that you said yes. 

You pull away from him and hand the necklace to Gaara to help you put it on. With the necklace firmly in place, the two of you head back inside. Everyone else had already gone off to bed and you and Gaara quickly followed. 

The next morning, you were aggressively woken up by your youngest brother. 

“C’mon! There are presents to be opened!” Haru yelled as he bounced on top of you. The bouncing abruptly stopped and you peeked from under your blanket to see Haru being held up by Gaara. 

With a smile on your face, you got out of bed. Haru quickly jumped from Gaara’s arms and ran out of the room. 

“Good morning,” Gaara said wrapping you in his arms. 

“Morning” You replied, returning the hug. You put your necklace back on, then laced your fingers with Gaara’s as the two of you made your way downstairs. 

Everyone had already gathered in the main sitting room by the time you got there. All eyes quickly darted to you and Gaara, then to your hands, then away from you. With bashful smiles, you and Gaara made your way to sit on the floor in front of Temari and Haru. The room was quiet for a few more moments until Tendo dramatically turned toward Kankuro.

“I told you it would happen before the New Year,” Tendo said. Kankuro gave a dramatic sigh and dug around in his pocket before handing a couple of bills to the 13-year-old. The interaction made the rest of the room break out into laughter. As the room dissolved into side conversations, Temari leaned her head down to your level.

“All I am saying is that it’s about time,” Temari said as she wrapped her arms around your shoulders. 

“I agree.” You reply, locking your hand with Gaara’s again, and leaning your head against his shoulder. He leaned his head on top of yours and squeezed your hand. 

“Me too,” Gaara said as he pressed a kiss to your head. 

A Merry Christmas indeed.


End file.
